Rabbitohs 18
Warriors 16
KEY POINTS:
Can McKinnon wade into the swampy hole into which the Warriors have stumbled and save their season?
Star fullback Wade McKinnon may return from knee surgery to play against the Broncos at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, offering the side a well-timed boost as they struggle to emerge
on top of seven teams also within range of a playoff spot.
McKinnon is second only to the Storm's Billy Slater in kick-return metres last season, second only to Cowboys' fullback Matt Bowen in terms of tackle breaks and fourth in line-breaks behind Bowen, Australian fullback Brett Stewart and Parramatta's Jarryd Hayne.
But he has not played since pre-season when he tore his knee.
Warriors centre Brent Tate, who returned early this season after similar surgery, took some weeks to return to his usual outstanding game. The same can be expected for the fullback.
Manu Vatuvei's return after several weeks out with a leg fracture was not enough to lift the team to victory in Sydney on Saturday.
The big wing had a big impact at times but his flagging involvement in the 18-16 loss to Souths as fatigue set in was a caution over the return of McKinnon.
Saturday's fullback Lance Hohaia continues to play well, offering smart injections on attack, and may go to the bench to take Jerome Ropati's spot.
Ropati's hands again let him down on Saturday, bombing what should have been a fall-across-the-line try. Sonny Fai prior to that, and Evarn Tuimavave later, also fumbled with the line open.
Hohaia scored the Warriors' third try to match Souths' trio and had the opportunity to level the scores 18-all going into the last quarter but his conversion attempt came back off the left upright.
And it had been Warriors' fumbles that led to the Rabbitohs' first two tries, the first after just five minutes.
"We beat ourselves," said coach Ivan Cleary. "Our first half was just littered with errors. We really beat ourselves, and that's obviously disappointing."
There may be minimal team changes because apart from McKinnon there are few options, but there will hopefully be an improvement in execution next weekend. Perhaps the lift from a home crowd will make the difference.
Only about one-quarter of the Mad Butcher's offered 5000 free tickets were taken up on Saturday, the crowd at the Olympic Stadium just 9276.
According to the statistics, the Warriors should have won. They had 54 per cent of possession, produced 14 off-loads to the Rabbitohs five, four line-breaks to one. They missed 27 tackles, Souths 40. They completed 26 sets of 38, Souths finished 26 of 40.
Those errors, and the kicking game from Rabbitohs half Chris Sandow backed up by John Sutton, were the difference. Again, the Warriors' kicking game lacked accuracy, distance and threat near the opposition line.
It was Kiwi David Kidwell who broke the 12-all halftime deadlock when he was first to Sandow's grubber over the tryline. Souths appeared to have sealed the game after a long-range break by fullback Nathan Merritt. But Warriors halfback Grant Rovelli successfully appealed to referee Steve Lyons about a forward touch from another Souths player early in the movement. After first awarding the try, Lyons wiped his decision and asked for video review, which ruled out the points.
Souths coach Jason Taylor wondered if that was allowed under the rules. "Can he give the try and then go to the video ref? In the end, I've got to say they probably got it right."
He reckoned it a dour game. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It was close, intense, fought with commitment. There were some brilliant skills on show. Souths' goal-line defence in the last minutes against determined and sustained Warriors attack earned them a deserved win.
The Warriors fans may have gone home or switched off disappointed but they will not be disillusioned.